Sunday, November 22, 2009

The Australian Football League (AFL) yesterday announced that it would hold an exhibition game in Shanghai, China. Brisbane will play Melbourne at Jiangwan Sports Centre in the Yangpu District.

AFL game development head David Matthews told reporters, “[t]here are big opportunities here [in China] to improve our broadcast position and consider China as an events market. I think we have got the best game in the world, the most spectacular game in the world.”

The AFL had previously told Wikinews that they had no plans to stage such a game.

Chinese broadcaster Shanghai Media Group will broadcast the match to approximately 20 million homes in southern China. The broadcaster will send a team to a Round One game between Richmond and Carlton to better understand how to broadcast the game.